IMAGINE that you are sitting on a log in a rainforest in Central America. This is part of the largest private reserve in Costa Rica, purchased and protected by the fundraising of children all over the world and named El Bosque Eterno de los Ninos or the Childrens' Eternal Rainforest.We are going to introduce you to some of the plants and animals of this richly biodiverse habitat.

1. I am a KAPOK TREE. Measuring 230 feet, I am one of the tallest trees in this forest - what is called an emergent, as I emerge above the canopy into the strong sunlight, exposed to the wind. I am home to a huge variety of wildlife, which feed from my flowerbuds, fruits and seeds. Parrots and eagles, colobus monkeys and lemurs live up here in my branches. Other plants live on my boughs like lichens, bromeliads and cacti, looking like a tree-top garden.

2. I am a LIANA. I don't have a trunk of my own but I need a lot of light, so my slender climbing stems use the trees for support to reach up to the canopy. Tree frogs, insects and small mammals like to live in the dense, damp vegetation of the canopy.

3. I am a TOADSTOOL, that takes nutrients from the litter of dead leaves and branches on the forest floor. Not much light can get down here, where it is very humid. Even so, birds, insects and reptiles live amongst the roots and leaf litter.

4. I am a JESUS CHRIST LIZARD. I use my tail to balance, and the flap of skin on my hind toes enables me to run on water to chase prey or escape danger.

5. I am an EPIPHYTE - an orchid. I am a plant which attaches itself ton the branches of trees, using them simply as a way to reach the light, but getting nutrients from rainwater and plant fragments.

6. I am a SCARLET MACAW. my nest is 100 feet above the forest floor, and I can use my wings to glide through the trees.

7. I am a GOLDEN BEETLE. I am over one inch long. I can only be found in Costa Rica.

8. I am a TAPIR. I like to be active at night, swimming in the rivers of the rainforest, searching for leaves, fruit and seeds.

9. I am a JAGUAR. I am a big cat, with a spotted coat, which allows me to hide amongst the grasses, bushes and trees. Sadly, my coat was prized by humans and their hunting of us has nearly brought us to extinction. I spend much of my time on the floor of the rainforest, and hunt at night.

The rainforest may seem remote from the lives we lead, but we are as dependent on its survival as if it was a few miles away!

Every minute of the day, 100 acres of rainforest are destroyed. That's 100 football pitches! By the end of this service at least 6,000 acres will have gone!... and with it the animals that live there.

At this rate there could be no rainforests left in 30 years time - forests that have survived and thrived for millions of years.

The rainforest is home for valuable trees, like mahogany which bring in a good income for the native, and mostly poor , countries, The timber is sold to rich countries for furniture, doors, loo seats and coffins. Sadly, the huge machinery used to cut the trees down, damages the forest for miles around.

Some rainforests are rich in precious metals and gemstones - gold, silver and diamonds - and are laid waste by machines and pollution.

Rainforests are also cleared for farming, as the soil is rich in nutrients and yields are high for a few years. But the fertility of the soil, ironically, is dependent on the lush layers of vegetation which have been cleared. After 2 or 3 years, the goodness has been washes away and the farmers move on.

Cattle ranching and industrial farming , for example of soya beans and palm oil,are responsible for the loss of great swathes of rainforest, encouraged by the rich countries appetite for beefburgers and a vegetarian alternative.

DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF ALL THIS IS DESTROYED?Apart from the myriad variety of life in the rainforest, many plants provide us with brazil nuts, chocolate, chewing gum, vanilla and the base for many medicines. But more importantly, the rainforests are the lungs of the earth. They regulate the world's atmosphere and climate.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH..... now.... again .....

You are breathing in oxygen, vital for your survival.

These mighty trees provide YOU with that through THEIR respiration- absorbing the carbon dioxide that you exhale...not to mention the rest of the carbon dioxide we produce in our activity!Now, more than ever in man's history on earth, we need these trees and the rich diversity of life that they support.

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This was written by Clare Hyde (clare.earthcare@hotmail.co.uk) of Hurst Green, Clitheroe. She is happy for other groups to use the text, provided she is credited.

Subscribe To The Rainforest Fund, Settle

So far we have raised ..

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Jan-March 2018:£30

(Total for 2018: £30.00)

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December: £235 made up of £191 at Coffee morning - £127 for Coffee and cakes, £64 for cards; plus £10.50 from Cards sold at Settle Spinners and £20 from one person buying cards and £23.50 from other cards - Total for 2017: £557:

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Sep-Nov 2017: £32.50 including £19.50 from Green Christian JIE Conference and £13 from Cards at Growing with Grace (Total-£312)

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June - Aug 2017: £72.50 including £68 from the talk on "Wildflower Walks around Settle" (Total for 2017: £279.50)

In Dec 2012 - so far - £137 :£65 from Rainforest Coffee morning at church. The following is all from cards: £25.5 from sale of cards at coffee morning, and £25 from cards near coffee morning; : £8 at Langcliffe Inst, £13 Growing with grace £10-50 Wholesome Bee, (Total for 2012 = £712)

In June 2012: £40 : from sale of cards:£18 from people from Scargill House on my wildflowers walk and £16 from Age UK people at haymeadow talk (Total for 2012 = £370)

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In May 2012: £74 : including from cards (£14 from sale of cards at Taitlands Tea room at Stainforth; £15 from CCG meeting at Lower Winskill; £20 from Flowers course at Malham Tarn Field Centre; £17 (Total for 2012 = £330)

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In April 2012: £26: from cards (£15 from A Rocha group at Scargill House (Total for 2012 = £256)

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In March 2012: £130: from cards including £75 from Christian Ecology Link Conference at Bristol and £35 donation from Settle Spinners and £20 from Cards in the foyer at St John's (Total for 2012 = £230)

In Dec 2011: £240 including £90from cards including £32.50 from Langcliffe Inst Christmas Sale, £11-00 at WI pantomine, £20 from people at Settle Christmas Day Lunch and £150 donation (Total for 2011 = £1,000)

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In Nov 2011: £50: From cards including £19.50 from Scottish Dancing (Total for 2011 = £760)

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In Oct 2011: £110: From cards including £45 from Worsley Church and £50 from Settle Mothers Union (Total for 2011 = £710)

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In Sept 2011: £30: From cards (Total for 2011 = £600)

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In August 2011: £20: From cards (Total for 2011 = £570)_________________________

In July 2011: £50: From £36 donation form Settle Spinners, (£6-00 cards from Settle Spinners and £8.00 cards from others (Total for 2011 = £550)_________________________

In June 2011: £85: From the profit from the Saltaire Ladies group who came for salad tea at the church hall - £29 plus the cards they bought - £16.50; The Flowers course at Malham Tarn bought £26 of cards. (Total for 2011 = £500)_________________________In April- May 2011: £55 - From My saving buying food on "Live for a £1-00 a day week": £10; Rest from cards including 1 person at Scottish dancing £15 and people at Plantlife day: £16.50 (Total for 2011 = £415)_________________________

In March 2011: £145 - Mostly from sale of cards including:- £50 from CEL conference, £25 from Horton History Society, £26 from WYSOCS; Also a £20 donation (Total for 2011 = £360)_________________________

In Feb 2011: £65 - all from sale of cards including:- £26 from Austwick Field Society and £25 from Settle Gardening Club (Total for 2011 = £215)_________________________

Starting again..in 2011: £150 in by 31 January 2011 including £109 from the Barn Dance and £26 from cards_________________________

£2600 (£600 in 2010) by Dec 31 2010 - Mostly from Greeting cards, but also £32.21 from Settle Spinners and some from a donation._________________________

£2420 (£420 in 2010) by Sept 20 2010 - From the St John's Coffee Morning in August (£106) . Also from the sale of Greetings Cards, including £28 worth from people on courses at Malham Tarn Field Centre - Acrylics, Grasses, Settle Carlisle Line and Staff)_________________________

£2250 (£250 in 2010) by June 30 2010 - Mostly from the sale of Greetings Cards, including £20 worth from people at "Folk at the Falcon" and £30 from one lady who came to the NISCU evening, and £20 donation from people who came on the Environment Sunday Walk._________________________

£2125 (£125 in 2010) by March 31 2010 - including £100 from sale of Greetings Cards and Calendars and another £25 from collection by Settle Spinning Club

_________________________Nov - December 31st 2009 - including sale of Christmas Cards and Calendars

(Total for 2009 = £567 )_________________________Sep-October 2009 - £60-00:- £52 donations at Day of Prayer on 4 Oct. £8-00 from energy meter and sale of cards

(Total for 2009 = £450)_________________________May-August 2009: £68 - £40 from cards from Choir from Dewsbury, £8-00 from profit on sale of tweezers and lenses, £10- from part of Burton in Lonsdale Ceilidh money, £8-00 sale of cards

(Total for 2009 = £47) _________________________£1433 by December 29th 2008 - including £70 from Settle WI£14 from selling Speaking Tips Booklets£70 from selling home-made Christmas cards_________________________£1279 by November 29th 2008- including £25 from a Langcliffe Singer Lady who is giving it to World Land Trust to a relation as a Christmas Present; £35 from Langcliffe Singers; and donations from a couple for receiving computing tuition_________________________£1172 by October 29th- 2008 including £50 made up from donations from 6 people who borrowed the Owl monitor, and an individual donation for £50 - Thanks._________________________£1050 by September 29th 2008 includingover £100 from the "Addingham Friendly Hour" minibus trip where we made them tea)_________________________£920 by July 29th -2008- includinga donation of £4 by a person borrowing an OWL meter - (for monitoring electricity usage)_________________________£883 by June 20th 2008- includinga donation of £100 for Cool Earth by Settle Line Dance Class at the Church Hall and £10 as the first donation online for Cool Earth, and two other donations._________________________£752 by May 20th 2008 includinga donation of £100 for World Land Trust by a family who donated half an acre of land (£25) for each of their four nephews and nieces, who received certificates._________________________£652 by April 19th 2008- includinga donation of £65 from the group who came for coffee_________________________£587 by April 14th 2008- including£160 for A Rocha Ghana£312 for World Land Trust (including £25 online donation and £30 from Scottish Country Dancing at the Hall£115 for Cool Earth_________________________£467 by April 5th 2008- including£110 for A Rocha Ghana£292 for World Land Trust (including £25 online donation and £30 from Scottish Country Dancing at the Hall£65 for Cool Earth_________________________

£392 by March 9th 2008- including£90 for A Rocha Ghana£237 for World Land Trust£65 for Cool Earth_________________________

£295 by February 9th 2008£80 for A Rocha Ghana and£215 for World Land Trust (which will buy 4 acres of forest.)